In Between Love and Promises
by ButaLove
Summary: ONESHOT. When Sakura and Neji get married, Lee and Tenten could not help but feel happy for their friend but at the same time feel at loss for those they know now they can never have.


AN: Hey! This is a one-shot, sort of SakuNejiTen fanfic. Of course, I'm TenNeji forever! Actually, this is more of like a one-sided thing. Read to find out what I mean. This is my first NejiTen fanfic so I hope it's good enough. Technically, it shows how much Tenten still loves Neji even after everything that's going to happen here. And hopefully, it really won't happen because NejiSaku is one of the most annoying pairings on Earth. No offense…:P

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I never will. TT

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**In Between Love and Promises**

_No matter how much pain it brought in my chest…no matter how much I'd get hurt…I'd still love him. I know by know, I'll never get to have him…_

He was getting married today. What's worse was that he was marrying my best friend. Once I heard the news, I felt an immediate pang inside me. The news reached me about five months ago, but even then, I knew they were already dating. Some part of me had an intuition that something like this was going to happen if I never told him how I felt and another part of me kept on believing that this wouldn't be possible.

I don't blame Sakura for anything. Neither should you. After all, she doesn't know I had a crush on my very own teammate. She's a really kind person and a student of my idol!

Nobody knew that I had a crush on Neji except for one person in this world. My other teammate Lee. Honestly, that man could read everything I felt and did just like a book. It was a funny thought though. He was always like the brother I never had ever since we were younger. Even until now that we are jounins', and even if we hardly have any missions together. He looked as if he wanted to faint when he found out that they were dating, much more when they were getting married, so we're pretty much in the same position here…but we made a promise that we shouldn't cry on this day and that we should be the best of the friends in us that we had by not trying to take advantage on any of them. (AN: You know what I mean)

And we never break our promises, especially Lee, who just did the nice-guy pose as we made our swear.

Well, Neji was part of ANBU, and at the age of twenty-two, can you believe him? A true prodigy. It makes me wonder if he's ever changed. I still see him often around the village and we still greet each other but most of the time, I see him with her. It almost broke my heart. _Almost._ When I heard that the two had been going out with each other, it came directly from the couple. Honestly, if on that day, there was a contest held for the most surprised people on earth, I would have been the first to get a heart attack.

_Flashback _

_Tenten was alone in the woods, training with her beloved weapons. Her usual training partner Neji was out for another one of his ANBU missions, and wouldn't be back for awhile. She missed Neji, truth be told but admitting that to the world would make people think she liked him. Which was true but she decided to wait for a little longer. Training alone was something she got used to over the past few years since her team had taken separate paths. _

_Exhausted, she packed up all her scattered weapons and headed back to her abode. Just before she could reach the exit of the forest, she heard groans and clanging of steel together. A sudden chakra was sensed by Tenten but this chakra felt very familiar. Both chakras she felt were familiar and they came from her left so she decided to take a small look to see who it was. _

_Although she knew who they were, she was still surprised. What were Neji and Sakura doing here? Moreover, why were they training together? They were both in the air, doing an endless series of throwing kunai and fighting expertly but Tenten knew Neji too well. She knew he was not trying his full capacity on her but Sakura seemed to be trying all her best already. Hiding behind a tree, she watched their fight vigilantly. They were both quick, she had to admit. As he was defending strikes from Sakura, he sensed Tenten's chakra, and eyed her from behind a tree. _

_And then, they both caught each other's glances. Time seemed to stop for her. Looking at his eyes made her feel comforted all the time and she felt more relaxed but it was quicker than she thought. Before she knew it, a slight blush crept on her pale cheeks. She remembered that she wasn't supposed to catch their attention so she immediately turned her full body at the back of the tree, leaning on it. _

_Neji sent Sakura flying to a tree behind her, but made sure he wouldn't cause her to go unconscious or bleed. They were just sparring anyway. He was at the ground now as he calmly spoke. _

"_We have a visitor." Sakura looked up and saw his eyes wander to a tree, where she could see two brown buns on a head. She giggled slightly at her lack of skill in concealment. _

"_Come out Tenten!" She shouted playfully. There, revealed a blushing kunoichi nervously giggling when she approached them. _

"_Caught red-handed, huh?" She said grinning at them, scratching her cheek lightly. Both she and Sakura laughed then, Tenten smiled at the both of them. The brunette turned her head to Neji, who was looking directly at her eyes, with his infamous stoic look. _

"_I thought you were out on a mission." Her face let out a half-glare, but hid it mostly with a slight smile. _

"_I finished it a day early." He said coolly, folding his arms. They both stared at each other's eyes once again but this time, she appeared a little angrier. Why didn't he tell her he was back? They could've trained a bit more. _

"_So, what's this I see? The both of you training?" It pained her, just to even say those words however she did not show an ounce of it. Her attention was back on her friend Sakura. She placed her hands behind her back and clasped her hands together. _

"_Yeah. I'm sure Neji's told you." Sakura said beaming. For some unknown reason, her heart started beating slightly quicker than before. But why? Perhaps her heart knew what was going to happened… _

"_Told me what?" Then her heart skipped a beat. "We're together now." _

_Three and a half words caused her whole body to go tense. Her head was spinning and her legs begged to just make her body collapse to the ground. In short, she wanted to faint at that moment…but Tenten knew better than to let her emotions take control of her body. Unfortunately, her brain took this all as some joke. Though there was a smile on her face, the corner of her lips twitched a bit. _

"…" _was her reply as she blinked at them slowly, glancing at a beaming Sakura then to a stoic Neji. Obviously, Sakura was really happy but as always, Neji was unreadable. "To---gether?" She stammered, straining to find the voice and the right words. God, she sounded so stupid. _

"_Yup! He asked me out about two weeks ago, before he left for his mission. Isn't it great?" Now, she looked at the ground, smiling sadly, as if she was talking to the ground itself. Her bangs covered those hazel colored eyes of hers. At her back, Tenten's fists unconsciously clenched tightly. Her nails dug into her flesh, causing her hands to have a bruise. _

"_Yeah, I'm a happy for you guys…" Grinning, while giving a thumbs up, Tenten said, enthusiastically. Sakura remembered that she had to go to the hokage right after her training with Neji and gave the two a quick goodbye, then 'poofed', leaving a disappearing cloud. _

"…_except Neji never told me." She said smiling ill-fully at her teammate, as she rested her hands on her hips. Then after, the two looked straight at each other's eyes in silence. Great, she was alone with Hyuuga Neji in the middle of a forest inside the village. What could possibly go wrong? _

"_So who else haven't you told?" She said, breaking the awkward silence. Neji replied with a sigh and dropped his arms to his sides. _

"_Tenten, you don't have to pretend." He said looking at her with pity. _

"_Pretend? Me? You're the one pretending…" She said chuckling vaguely. His expression turned to a frown. "Show me your hands." Her hands were hanging loosely beside her, still clenched but she decided to show it anyway. She fanned her fingers out, showing red marks, as if somebody had scratched it roughly. She looked at the ground beside her, avoiding Neji's gaze. _

"_Whenever you look at the floor, it means that you are either deep in thought or depressed." When he said that, it sounded like he was an expert who knew Tenten like the front page of a book, but Lee could read her like the whole book. _

"_Well, which one do you think it is then?" Her eyes exposed a hint of sadness, he noticed. _

"_Both." She shook her head in reply, but it was not in a disapproving sort of way. _

"_That's Neji for me. Always trust him to read me like a book cover." there it was again. That tone she uses whenever she was sad...he knew something was wrong but before he could reply, she was gone in a 'poof'. _

_End of Flashback _

But it was much worse, in my opinion, when they announced to me that they were going to get married. It came from Neji, and at that time, it was my turn to be out on a mission. And that was ten times more awkward than the first heart-attacking news.

So here I was now, standing at the end of a rolled out carpet dyed in green, waiting for my turn in walking down this aisle as if I were in a marching band. With a costume to top it off. In fact, I wore a very beautiful dress that day. What can you expect from Sakura? She was a fashion critic so she decided to hire a tailor for this dress. It was a spaghetti-strapped dress which had a straight cut around to my back and was made out of velvet. The hem line reached until my ankles, making me look a bit shorter, especially because I wore flats. The light-shaded crimson dress had a line on my waist, separating the upper portion of my body and the lower portion. The upper portion was tightly placed around me (and I must say…I'm CHOKING HERE!) and the lower portion flowed freely below me like those of a princess…not that I feel like one. (Although, I definitely did not feel like a kunoichi)

The theme color was red, as you know. Not pink, as I suppose you guys have predicted. She said something like "If my wedding had pink flowers and all that everywhere, then it would be too color chromatic with my hair." Then flung her hair back. Honestly, I felt VERY uncomfortable in this dress because it hugged my body too tightly to my comfort.

With that, red roses in bouquets took posts on steel stands on each pew of the huge church we were in. Sakura's bride's maids, namely Ino, Hinata, and her cousin, were wearing red dresses as well, but in a different style than mine. The church was well decorated in white and filled with all sorts of red flowers, some I can't even name. It was filled with Konoha villagers who were invited by the couple, some were close relatives and friends, and most of them were just fellow villagers.

From where I stood, I could see the groom, with his hair lightly pulled back by his normal low ponytail. He wore a formal tux, something he definitely usually would not wear but he should wear that more often in my opinion. He looked so…_amazing._ Oh! How can I think like this? It would be like betraying Sakura! Then again, I liked him first. As I glanced at Neji, taking in his physical appearance, his eyes caught mine. I could've sworn I heard my heart skip a beat. My cheeks were burned in a slight color of red and looked away from him. The least thing I needed was to faint from too much stress in the middle of their wedding.

Beside me stood Lee, Neji's best man and in front of me was Hinata, one of the bride's maids. She looked pretty as well in that dress, especially now that she grown her hair long. She was beside Naruto, one of the groom's men. At last it was my part; I linked my arm with his and gradually walked in the aisle, plastering a fake smile on my face. Anyone who knew Lee well could tell he wore a fake smile too. Yes, the two broken-hearted were walking down the aisle together, pretending like they weren't feeling that wound in their hearts.

And now, walking together side by side, arm to arm, we smiled, being proud of who we loved like there was no tomorrow.

**NORMAL POV **

Reception was at the Hyuuga compound. It was already evening and the festivities began merrily, with music playing and people dancing. Among them were Hinata, Naruto, Ino, Shikamaru, and the couple themselves. Kiba and Choji were preventing Lee from drinking too much sake at the food table. Just watching them, she laughed already. Tenten stood alone stiffly, observing how happy everyone was. She wanted to enjoy this night…but knowing that a part of her heart ached inside, she could never be completely happy anymore.

Before she knew it, the brunette found herself at their garden, which had a beautiful sight to look at. Huge trees surrounded an opening in the middle. The smell of humid, fresh air reached her nose, causing her to inhale deeply. Tenten's shoulders rose high as she did and lower when she exhaled calmly as if letting go of all the heavy weight on her shoulders. There was a cherry blossom tree there in the middle with pretty pink petals blooming on it. Underneath it was a white steel bench. It was capable for two people to sit on. It was a good night sky that night, with a starry background hanging above, and a crescent moon beaming white.

A cool breeze swept passed her as she made her way towards that little bench and was about to sit down until she suddenly felt a presence behind her. A presence all too familiar to go unnoticed. Since her back faced where the presence came from, she couldn't see him…nor could he see her face. A small smile played on her lips.

"It's your night tonight. You should be having fun." She said softly. Hopefully, it was loud enough for him to hear.

"I would, unfortunately one of my teammates isn't." He walked towards her. 'Make that both of your teammates.' Silently, she thought, unconsciously forming a straight line on her lips.

When he stood about a good meter behind Tenten, he stopped. She could feel his eyes were on her but made no move to turn around. She was too scared to. Sometimes, she'd have a sudden feeling to say things out of the blue, without the consent of her mind. And unfortunately, she felt like doing that right now.

"Does it matter? You have Sakura to be happy with anyway." It surprised her the minute she said this and quickly covered her mouth. She sounded a little bit too jealous. No, too jealous. Hearing him sigh, she turned on her heel to face him. Another one of those last things she needed was a sin against her friends.

"Ah!...I---I was kidding! E---erase what I said!" She waved her hands at him nervously near her chest and laughed uneasily. He was looking straight at her hazel eyes with that expression she knew so well but could never tell what he was thinking. Anyone could tell he was serious right now.

"Tenten, you don't have to pretend." He said sternly.

"Pretend? You always think I pretend. What am I suppose to pretend about?" She replied still masking her feelings. This was just like what happened a year ago…something she did not want to remember.

"It's hurting you." He then frowned at her however he wasn't angry at her, just at what she was doing.

"That's Neji for me. Always trust him to know me like the cover of a book." She said, smiling, directing her eyes to the ground.

"You are looking at the ground again." She clenched my fists at his damn mind. Why did he have to be such a genius? "What is it this time?"

"Sad and angry." She fought the urge to roll my eyes then and there. Thankfully, she looked up at him with a playful face._ Come on Tenten…be strong._ "I don't remember the second one being a choice."

"It's not. It's a fact." Ugh. He was doing it again…that I-know-better-than-you-twenty-four-seven attitude. "Whatever. Why don't you just enjoy the night with your new wife? I don't want to be a nuisance to you." Neji got caught back by this statement, she could tell but he just did not show it. Hey, it's not fair that he gets to read through her if she can't read through him right?

"Tenten, you're my teammate…" he said in a soft voice. 'Never a nuisance.' He thought inwardly.

"And that's all I'll ever be." She couldn't take it anymore. Tears were threatening to fall at the corner of her eyes…she promised Lee she wouldn't cry! She had to leave.

Neji got even more surprised at this and showed it this time as he widened his eyes at her. Slowly but surely, she began to walk and as she passed him he caught something with the corner of his eyes. A clear droplet of water slid down her cheek.

That night, she shed a tear for him. It was the first time she did. And for the first time, she broke a promise with Lee.

…_And I'll never be able to tell him I love him.

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AN: Oh my gosh! I am finally done! I AM SO HAPPY! Well, I'm not really so ecstatic about this fic but I hope you liked it! At least I'm satisfied. R&R PLEASE! Flames are accepted, just not really mean ones okay? Well, advanced merry Christmas everyone!


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